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Sunday Hopium - Trump Is Unpopular, Weakened, And Losing All The Arguments That Matter

Stand Up For Science rally in DC Wed, VA early vote begins Friday

Simon Rosenberg

Sep 14

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Morning everyone. Sundays are rest and recharge days here at Hopium but got a few things for you…..

Head to yesterday’s main Hopium post for my commentary (posts and videos) on the killing of Charlie Kirk and it’s aftermath, and links to new interviews with a great collection of Senators, Reps and Mikie Sherrill.

We all need to be paying more attention to what is happening with farmers and the farm economy. The tariffs have hit farm country very, very hard…..

We must press hard this week to get a real explanation for what is happening to a clearly ailing Trump’s health. He “shakes too many hands” doesn’t explain this:

Yes, on Friday a Fox News host called for all homeless people to be killed. Latest public display of MAGA’s escalating embrace of eugenics. And no, this ain’t more “locker room” talk…..

In related news the NYT has a must-read magazine piece on Trump and Kennedy’s dismantling of our cancer research ecosystem in the US. For yes, they want more of us to die:

Since President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer more than 50 years ago, America’s cancer-research system has been a triumph of government-funded science. Although some 40 percent of Americans will still get a cancer diagnosis at some point in their life, this sprawling research system — which reaches into universities all across the country — has yielded decades of minor breakthroughs that has saved millions of lives and improve the quality of life for those undergoing cancer treatments.
Today, with the benefits of decades of accrued knowledge and new advances in technology, cancer researchers are on the brink of further breakthroughs that could enable doctors to detect possible tumors earlier and treat them more effectively and with fewer short- and long-term side effects. But the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to American cancer research are putting the entire system — and with it, future progress — in jeopardy.
For my magazine article, I spoke to 50 members of America’s biomedical-research establishment — medical-school administrators; government-funded researchers; former directors and current and former program officers and officials at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.
Here are the key takeaways from the full article (and here’s a gift link)

The Washington Post has a related front page look this morning (gift link) at how Kennedy’s sabotaging of vaccines is beginning to have a significant impact on future vaccine development.

Thankfully, Trump is losing all the arguments that matter. Here’s the Economist/YouGov’s most important issue this week (note that crime is at 3% here):

Trump’s job approval in this same poll in these top 4 issues:

Inflation/prices 32%-62% (-30), 20%-61 (-41) with independent voters
Jobs/economy 38%-55% (-17), 25%-56% (-31) with independent voters
Health care 32%-56% (-24), 24%-53% (-29) with independent voters
Immigration 45%-50% (-5), 32%-50% (-18) with independent voters

As I mentioned on Thursday this week we even saw credible, independent polls with Trump is negative territory on crime and border security. Here’s our weekly look at the unraveling of Trump’s 2024 coalition:

Reupping the graph from our Stephen Clermont that tracks the U of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey over time. Their Friday report found a big drop in consumer sentiment these past few weeks, consistent with the bad inflation and jobs data we’ve been seeing. In this survey consumer sentiment is now lower than any point in the last 50 years:

Trump is weak, not strong. A failure, not a success. A loser, not a winner. An old ailing man, not a virile one. A villain, not a hero. And a clear sign of his weakness and decline is his inability, despite their extraordinary information superiority, to bring the country along with him on the things that matter most. It’s a sign of how his powers are ebbing, why he has been so manic and desperate of late - for the country is growing more distant from him - and why we have to keep working as hard as we can.

For those in DC there is a Stand Up For Science rally on Wednesday at 8am downtown. Register here and invite your friends!

For those in Virginia early in person voting begins this Friday, and I am encouraging everyone reading this to vote as early as you can. When you vote early your name comes of the GOTV rolls for the Virginia campaigns. This allows them to move on faster to lower propensity voters, which then drives up overall Dem turnout. Voting early - Fri, Sat, Sun - helps create a sense of “hey, everyone is voting” which encourages others to vote early and helps us create what we’ve called here “a virtuous cycle of participation” which increases our turnout and makes it more likely we win.

Voting early increases Dem turnout and makes it more likely we win - so vote early good people of Virginia!

Now, Let’s Get To Work Everyone!

Support Our November, 2025 Candidates

Mikie Sherrill NJ Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $74k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my new interview with Rep. Sherrill
Abigail Spanberger VA Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $188k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Abigail Spanberger

Support Our 2026 Candidates

Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $33,000 raised- Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interviews with Gov. Cooper and NC Dem Chair Anderson Clayton
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $67k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my inspiring new interview with Senator Ossoff
Hopium House 7 (2026) - $250,000 goal, $198k raised - Donate | Learn More, Volunteer | Watch My Interviews With Our Intrepid Incumbents

Our updated fundraising goals are now for the end of the year, December 31st, except for the 2025 races, which are now for Election Day, 2025. For more on Hopium’s approach to elections check out 1) the many important wins we had together last cycle 2) my big recommendations to the family coming out of the 2024 elections about what we need to do now 3) my latest thinking on where we are and the path forward for the Hopium community.

Take Action, Express Your Love Of Country And Strengthen Our Democracy Through Good Works - We are prioritizing two actions today:

1 - Call Your Senators and Member Of The House And Demand They Act Upon Our Four-Part Agenda - We need to be loud people, very, very loud and make the case for our our emerging four part agenda. Demand that your reps work to

Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world
Block the expansion of ICE, restore due process, and end the use of the military on our streets and occupations of our cities
Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; demand the removal of extremist Robert Kennedy from HHS. Yes, we need to FIRE HIM
Stand with Ukraine and our European allies, and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia and China

2 - Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community - Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Be sure to check out our new discussion with Deborah Potter and Rachel Poliner who have passed resolutions in New Mexico and Boston, and offer advice on how to get a resolution passed in your own community.

Remarkably, members of this community are now advancing 79 (!!!!) resolutions projects in 22 states + DC. Can we get to all 50 states by the fall election?

On Tuesday night the town council of Corrales, New Mexico debated and passed a resolution of condemnation. A preview of the resolution can be found in this article from a local new site. In considering the resolution Councilor Bill Woldman said:

"I want to thank the Mayor and administration for the comprehensive and important statement on our democracy. This is not a partisan statement, but rather an acknowledgment of a significant deviation from 250 years of practice of the Separation of Powers. While all politics may not be local, it is important for local governmental bodies to acknowledge threats when they exist and support our Congressional Representatives in their resistance to executive branch overreach. Thank you."

Keep up the great work proud, plucky patriots of the Hopium community!!!!

Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Been impressive to see how many of you remain involved in local, in person protests of all kinds in your communities. Great to see!

Keep working hard all, and let’s go out and win the fall, together - Simon

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Sunday, September 14, 2025